Department for Communities and Local Government

Job Creation: Ebbsfleet

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new jobs have been created in Ebbsfleet since the creation of the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government’s ambition is for the creation of 30,000 new jobs in Ebbsfleet. Across the main sites, there is currently outline planning permission for 622,259 square metres of office and industrial space, 26,850 square metres of retail space and 192,000 square metres of hotel and leisure space. So far, jobs have been created at a new restaurant/public house and primary school with a new hotel opening in January 2018. There has also been significant job creation in the construction sector, including new apprenticeships.

Refuges: Domestic Violence

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that safe accommodation is available throughout the UK for women and children escaping domestic violence; and what steps they are taking to prevent the closure of existing refuges.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: This is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Government is absolutely committed to protecting victims of domestic abuse.In England, we have invested £33.5 million since 2014 in safe accommodation-based services that support victims of domestic abuse. 80 projects across the country are receiving part of our 2016/18 £20 million fund for safe accommodation and local service reform, which will create more than 2,200 bed spaces and support over 19,000 victims.We set out our expectations of local areas in supporting victims of domestic abuse in our Priorities for Domestic Abuse services, published in November 2016. We are also undertaking a review of funding for refuge in England, including the critical care and support costs, and will conclude by Summer 2018. To inform our review, we have launched a tender for an audit of local authority commissioning of domestic abuse services, including refuge.We are exploring all options for future delivery of domestic abuse services in England, including a national model for refuges. We are committed to working closely with sector partners, drawing on their expertise and knowledge, as we undertake our review.

Private Rented Housing: Greater London

baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of long-term rental units in London that have changed to become short term or holiday lets in the last five years; and how they plan to encourage private landlords to provide more housing for people seeking long term accommodation.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: As part of the Autumn Budget statement, it was announced that the Government will consult on ways to overcome the barriers landlords can face in offering longer, more secure tenancies to those tenants who want them. We do not have an estimate of those long-term rental units in London that have changed to or are additionally used for short term or holiday lets in the last five years.

Department for Education

Schools: Standards

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to improve the attainment of, and outcomes for, pupils attending schools in rural and coastal areas; and, in particular, what assessment they have made of the use of partnerships between schools.

lord agnew of oulton: The Department for Education recently published the report, ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’, which sets out the department’s plan for improving social mobility through education. The report, which has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, consists of a targeted response to direct resources to where they are needed most. It includes prioritising support for 108 Category 5&6 local authority districts with the weakest educational performance but with capacity to improve. These districts, some of which are located in rural or coastal areas, were identified using the composite ‘Achieving Excellence Area’ indicator, which measures the educational performance of an area and its capacity to improve.The Opportunity Area programme seeks to improve outcomes for pupils in 12 social mobility ‘cold spots’ by overcoming barriers in those geographic areas where the educational challenges are greatest and opportunity is lacking. The areas represent a wide geographic spread, and take into account different challenges faced in different contexts - including in coastal and rural areas - which will help us to build a strong evidence base on what works in a wide range of varied settings.

Education: Assessments

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how often they meet their counterparts in (1) Northern Ireland, and (2) Wales, to discuss the examination arrangements for (a) GCSEs, and (b) A Levels.

lord agnew of oulton: The Department for Education organises quarterly meetings with officials from the Welsh and Northern Irish governments. These meetings are joined by the qualifications, examinations and assessments regulators for each country: Ofqual (regulator for England), the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (regulator for Northern Ireland) and Qualifications Wales (regulator for Wales). The purpose of these meetings is to discuss and update counterparts on policy and regulatory arrangements for qualifications, including GCSEs and A levels, in each of the three countries. Ofqual also meets the regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland frequently to discuss issues relating to the regulation of GCSEs and A levels.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of the Commonwealth in the post hurricane reconstruction of Caribbean (1) British overseas territories, and (2) independent island states.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not made a formal assessment of the role of the Commonwealth in the post-hurricane reconstruction of the Caribbean but sustainability will be on the agenda at the April 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London and Windsor. As the Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Scotland, has said, it is important for the international community to continue to support the recovery of the Caribbean islands affected by hurricanes in 2017. The UK is doing so both bilaterally and through international and regional organisations such as the Caribbean Development Bank and Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).

Russia: Telecommunications Cables

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat posed by Russian forces to the undersea cables linking the defence and commercial networks of NATO countries; and what steps are being taken to secure those vital communication links.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regard undersea cables as part of the UK's critical international infrastructure and monitor a variety of threats to them, including from possible hostile maritime activity. For security reasons, we do not comment on specific assessments.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the call for peace made by the 14th International Conference on the EU, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds, on 7 December; and if so, what new steps they will take.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK Government has no plans to de-list the PKK, which we are clear is a proscribed terrorist organisation. The onus is on the PKK to cease its campaign of violence so that a peaceful solution can be sought. We continue to support efforts to build dialogue, and to emphasise to the Turkish government the importance of upholding human rights.

Middle East: Freedom of Expression

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support and encourage free speechinIsrael and Palestine following reports of intimidation and public order offences committed by far-right groups in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​While we have not taken any action on this specific incident, the UK stands up for and strongly supports the right of freedom of expression. We welcome the repeated public commitments of the Israeli Government, including the President and Prime Minister, to uphold and protect Israel's longstanding tradition of freedom of expression.

Gaza: Infrastructure

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel to ensure that the building materials and machinery necessary to improve the infrastructure needed for winterisation assistance are allowed into Gaza.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate-General in Jerusalem frequently urge the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to take steps to improve conditions in Gaza. We have carried out demarches to this effect, urging Israel to go further in easing movement and access restrictions on Gaza. We also support projects to improve movement and access of people and goods in and out of Gaza through the Global Britain Fund.

Department for International Trade

Commonwealth: Trade

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the analysis by the Trade Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat,Trade Implications of Brexit for Developing Countries.

baroness fairhead: We were pleased to receive contributions from stakeholders and are considering them fully, including this Commonwealth Secretariat paper. Our first priority is to deliver continuity in our trading arrangements on leaving the EU. On leaving the EU the UK government will also explore options to expand on relationships with developing countries. We take every opportunity to advance discussions with Commonwealth partners, for example at the recent World Trade Organisation 11th Ministerial Conference. The Commonwealth Summit in April 2018 will be the largest leaders' summit the UK has ever hosted, with 52 Heads of State and thousands of businesses in attendance. The Prime Minister has identified trade as one of her top priorities for the Summit.

Commonwealth: Trade

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scale of the potential impact of the application of most favoured nation tariffs on developing Commonwealth countries.

baroness fairhead: Most Favoured Nation (MFN) rates are the highest import tariff rates WTO members can charge one another unless part of a preferential trade agreement. 43 out of 52 Commonwealth members benefit from preferential access to the UK through EU trade arrangements designed to support developing counties. This preferential access is vital to support economic development in the recipient countries and provide benefits to businesses in the UK. This is why, as the Government set out in the trade White Paper, we have introduced legislation to establish a UK trade preferences scheme as we leave the EU. We propose that this will, as a minimum, provide the same level of access as the current EU trade preference scheme. We will also seek to replicate effects of the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreements, which are development-focused trade deals with Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Commonwealth: EU External Trade

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the intra-country trade in the EU that originates in developing Commonwealth countries and first enters the EU via the UK.

baroness fairhead: The UK's total trade with developing Commonwealth countries (imports and exports of goods and services with countries that receive preferential access through the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, Economic Partnership Agreements or the Market Access Regulation) was over £42 billion in 2015. This statistic measures trade on a balance of payments basis but we are aware that goods and services from developing Commonwealth countries can constitute intermediate inputs into items traded within the EU. This is why we are working with developing country partners to replicate the effects of existing trade arrangements as we leave the EU.

Commonwealth: Overseas Trade

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the size of any increase in trade with Commonwealth countries in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

baroness fairhead: The UK leaving the European Union will affect trade with partner countries differently, including members of the Commonwealth. The size of the impact will depend upon a range of factors, including the UK’s future relationship with the EU.43 out of 52 Commonwealth members currently benefit from preferential access to the UK, either through the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, Economic Partnership Agreements or Market Access Regulations. This preferential access supports economic development in the recipient countries and provides benefits to businesses in the UK.The Government is committed to providing continuity in the UK’s current trade and investment relationships, including those covered by EU Free Trade Agreements and other EU preferential arrangements. As set out in the Trade White Paper, it has introduced legislation to establish a UK trade preferences scheme, which will help developing countries.The UK will seek to strengthen its trade and investment relationships with partners across the world, including Commonwealth members. We are already conducting regular Ministerial dialogues with a wide range of markets and also a joint review of the UK-India trade relationship, in partnership with the Government of India.